by Matt Boltz
The first Principle of an Effective Workplace is Individualism. What Individualism means in this context is that individuals are the base unit in all organizations. What is a corporation? What is a government? These organizations consist of departments and teams. These departments and teams are made up of individuals. An effective organization and effective leaders need to recognize the importance of creating a culture where individuals can pursue what interests them while meeting the needs of the business.
Individuals should be responsible and accountable for their work. It is too easy to push accountability to other people or teams in a lot of organizations. Have you ever worked at a company where no one would do anything unless their boss or someone else gave them written authorization? This must be one of the most inefficient systems to work within. Once a person understands their role they should be responsible for completing their tasks accurately and on time.
There should also be a culture that allows individuals to try new things and to fail without harsh judgments. You don’t progress or learn if you don’t fail. After the individual knows what their deliverables are they should be given some freedom to complete them in the way they view as the most efficient. Give people some freedom to experiment and improve. The attitude of “we do it this way because we’ve always done it this way” needs to be thrown out the window.
When it comes to incentivizing your employees, it is imperative to understand the value each person places on the various forms of rewards in the organizations. Some of these drivers are money, promotions, time off, quality of work, recognition from their leaders and peers, and advancing their knowledge within the company. Leaders cannot assume everyone on their team is motivated by the same thing. Learn what the individual is motivated by and allow them to work toward that incentive. This also applies to how managers manage their teams. Some people like to be left alone to do their job. Some like to be micro-managed. Other people want to contribute to the decision-making process. Open communication is required to figure out what motivates the individual and work to align their interests with the organization’s goals. This will increase employee retention and boost employee morale.
If your organization wants to recruit and retain talent it is critical that you understand your culture and hire individuals that share the same values. It is fairly easy to find people that can do the technical aspects of a given job. It is much more difficult to find people that will fit your culture. Once your organization finds a person that is a good fit it is in the organization’s best interest to retain that person. The only way this happens is to identify what incentives the individual will respond to and ensure they have the opportunity to pursue and achieve them.
Individuals should be responsible and accountable for their work. It is too easy to push accountability to other people or teams in a lot of organizations. Have you ever worked at a company where no one would do anything unless their boss or someone else gave them written authorization? This must be one of the most inefficient systems to work within. Once a person understands their role they should be responsible for completing their tasks accurately and on time.
There should also be a culture that allows individuals to try new things and to fail without harsh judgments. You don’t progress or learn if you don’t fail. After the individual knows what their deliverables are they should be given some freedom to complete them in the way they view as the most efficient. Give people some freedom to experiment and improve. The attitude of “we do it this way because we’ve always done it this way” needs to be thrown out the window.
When it comes to incentivizing your employees, it is imperative to understand the value each person places on the various forms of rewards in the organizations. Some of these drivers are money, promotions, time off, quality of work, recognition from their leaders and peers, and advancing their knowledge within the company. Leaders cannot assume everyone on their team is motivated by the same thing. Learn what the individual is motivated by and allow them to work toward that incentive. This also applies to how managers manage their teams. Some people like to be left alone to do their job. Some like to be micro-managed. Other people want to contribute to the decision-making process. Open communication is required to figure out what motivates the individual and work to align their interests with the organization’s goals. This will increase employee retention and boost employee morale.
If your organization wants to recruit and retain talent it is critical that you understand your culture and hire individuals that share the same values. It is fairly easy to find people that can do the technical aspects of a given job. It is much more difficult to find people that will fit your culture. Once your organization finds a person that is a good fit it is in the organization’s best interest to retain that person. The only way this happens is to identify what incentives the individual will respond to and ensure they have the opportunity to pursue and achieve them.